A computer system typically includes a number of hardware components including a processor to process information and data. The processor may operate in a normal mode and a protected mode such as the system management mode (SMM). SMM allows system developers and operators to provide functions such as power management or security, in a manner that is transparent to the operating system (OS) and other application programs. However, vulnerabilities in privileged execution environments, such as SMM, can result in persistent code injection attacks and exploitation by malware writers with little or no indication to the computer system.